Integrated assessment and sustainability frameworks : diagnosis, design and application of an adaptive tool

The present Ph.D. thesis aims to close a gap found in literature regarding the availability of a sustainability integrated assessment method to be carried at local level where generally, data and resources are restricted and variable over time. After starting with a review on the most relevant sustainability frameworks and assessment methods, I was faced with the question of how these elements could be implemented on field. I found answers through a case study: the project “Promotion and development of organic agriculture for grain producers in Jalisco, Mexico”. Making two field visits to the study area was crucial for me to verify the suitability of the designed adaptive integrated assessment tool for evaluating sustainability of local agroecosystems with the participation of local farmers. Finally, I expanded the tool to incorporate a dynamic assessment of the analyzed elements with a systems-based approach. The research process I followed consisted on the preparation, submission and publication of papers corresponding to each one of the chapters here presented. The most significant result of my research is the in-field validation of an adaptive and integrated sustainability assessment tool that applied to contrast the management of agroecosystems proved to be useful for: consolidating the sustainability approach, driving decision-making processes and bringing tangible results at local level. I encountered some obstacles as well: the transversal scope of the research that translated in greater complexity; the struggle between the long-termed sustainability goals and the requirement for immediate results; data gaps and the colliding vision of farmers and public institutions over the agricultural issues observed in the study area. To overcome these obstacles, the research in a broad sense, points to the recognition of sustainable agriculture as a necessity for people and in a practical one, provides a method that is fully driven at local level with a flexible indicator set and a multidimensional participatory approach. This research is meant to help sustainability in moving beyond theoretical debates and towards a practical influence for decision-making at local level.